Well-being in Web3

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem.

Research. Cardano cares, and this is clear. Let us integrate Cardano with use cases like the beauty/wellness space to educate more people + make them feel good! With physical spaces, products, & more.

[GENERAL] Summarize your relevant experience.

PhD in the area of entrepreneurial health and well-being in the digital economy with core considerations of diversity too. Passionate about improving wellbeing and representation in web3. Founder of hairgoals: natural hair care, wellness and (c)NFT communities.

[GENERAL] Requested funds in USD.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Introducing the hairgoals ‘well-being in web3’ research and 'IRL member club' project.

Cardano cares, and this is clear. Let us integrate Cardano with interesting use cases like the beauty/wellness industry to educate more people and further improve the representation of women and ethnic minorities in web3. We will achieve this with physical spaces/events, physical products and more.

The founder, who’s real first name starts with “Ada” is a PhD holder, singer/songwriter and entrepreneur. She is extremely passionate about well-being in the digital economy as well as diversity. Her PhD looked at just that, “entrepreneurial health and well-being in the digital economy: an intersectional critical realist investigation”

The ‘hairgoals’ well-being in web3 member clubs will have hairgoals products for members to use (natural hair care and wellness products), safe spaces for everyone to chill. We will first collaborate with existing spaces and create a database of where our members can access and what perks they get at the venue. Eventually, we aim to have our own spaces.

This idea supports ‘physical products’ by combining “IRL” (in real life) intersected with Cardano. Let’s create well-being in web3 “member clubs” with real life events, local retreats and ‘breaks’ powered by Cardano. This will serve as international ‘well-being’ crypto headquarters with plans to be in every continent. cNFT’s can be used as membership cards/access.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

The proposed solution will address the challenge in a number of ways.

• Research grounded in well-being to assess how products and integrations can best support the community.
• Supporting “physical products” and “social media” using hairgoals.
• Membership will be in the form of cNFT’s which have additional perks such as access to physical spaces, physical communities and physical products. Payments for everything will be in ADA.

We will look to collaborate with the ecosystem such as Cardashift and more Project Catalyst funds to make well-being a fundamental part of web3 combining the digital and IRL, from the get go.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

Vulnerability with regards to wellbeing, we will create literal safe spaces.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

Detailed breakdown

Mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) research on wellbeing in web3 within the Cardano ecosystem to find out what the current issues are and how to improve it - crucial to this project.

First 3 months

• Begin by doing a literature review on any wellbeing in web3 related research is available.
• Survey creation
• Semi structured interview creation and planning
• Recruit team members within the ecosystem to help facilitate interviews in their countries (these can be in person or remote).

Month 3 and 4

• Creating outputs based on the resources
• Dissiminate the research results and create resources and an action plan on how to improve wellbeing in web3
• Resources will be specific to well-being in web3 and how this can be improved. Information available on social media, namely Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, discord, ebooks and more.
• Work with designers, videographers and editors.

Months 5 to 8

• Partnerships
• Work with existing venues and 'pop-up' venues to establish a database of locations where our members can access as part of their 'Wellbeing in Web3 member club' membership.

Months 9 to 10

• Start onboarding members and do a number of events to welcome them to the physical spaces.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Detailed breakdown

Mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) research on wellbeing in web3 within the Cardano ecosystem to find out what the current issues are and how to improve it - crucial to this project.

First 3 months

$44,000

Begin by doing a literature review on any wellbeing in web3 related research is available.

Survey creation

Semi structured interview creation and planning

Recruit team members within the ecosystem to help facilitate interviews in their countries (these can be in person or remote).

Month 3 and 4

$20,000

Creating outputs based inn the resources

Dissiminate the research results and create resources and an action plan on how to improve wellbeing in web3

Resources will be specific to well-being in web3 and how this can be improved. Information available on social media, namely Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, discord, ebooks and more.

Work with designers, videographers and editors.

Month 5 to 8

$10,000

Working with partner venues and pop-ups to establish spaces that members can access with their membership. The funding will enable us to make deposits and payments for events which we will curate too.

Months 9 to 10

$20,000

All members who become members will receive a personalised box of hairgoals products. We anticipate 400 in the first instance, and these will be distributed during this time period. The boxes will inform members how to make the most out of their membership and tell them more about the perks include access to physical spaces and events. The hairgoals member boxes are worth $50 each. 400 x $50 = $20,000

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

Dr Adaku Jennifer Agwunobi is a singer/songwriter, entrepreneur and academic. She is currently a Postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Engineering Science, working on orthopaedic clinical tooling. She was the first Black doctoral researcher to obtain a PhD at Loughborough University London, where her PhD focused on the well-being of Black entrepreneurs. She has two Masters degrees: an MSc Health Economics and MSc Marketing (with Distinction). Additionally, her first degree was BSc (Hons) Economics. Adaku was the social media specialist for 'DEN' (Digital Economy Network) where she organised successful writing retreats, writing challenges and coding challenges for PhD students. She has organised several music related events as the Social Secretary of the Oxford University Africa Society. Fund 8 winner on the 'Oxford Student Hub' project and fund 8 contributor. Also, contributor to fund 7 project. Co-founder 'Black and PhD'.

More about her PhD here: https://www.lborolondon.ac.uk/news-events/news/2020/first-iie-researcher-completes-phd/

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

Yes, to take this worldwide!

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

Rigorous research: I am an experienced researcher with lots of experience in mixed methods. The fundamental part of this project is the initial research on 'Well-being in Web3'. I am a Skoll Centre ECR Fellow at Oxford University's Said Business School.

Link: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/research/centres-and-initiatives/skoll-centre-social-entrepreneurship/early-career-research

With regards to the database and partnerships with venues, I previously worked at the London head office of Uber in Marketing and Partnerships so I'm very experienced at this too.

Will do a follow up survey with the Cardano/Project Catalyst ecosystem to compare results from the initial survey (quantitative research) to compare whether improvements regarding wellbeing in web3 have been made. This will be supplemented with additional qualitative research too.

Let’s make the world a better place!!

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

Improved well-being within web3 is the key objective, period. & together, we can do it.

During the research phase, key sources of stress will be identified and we will disseminate results with an action plan and evidence-based goals to rectify existing identified issues. Resources will be made and included as part of the initial personalised box that is offered.

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

This is a new proposal.